Beneath The Howling Stars
by electriccghosts
Summary: While crab fishing in the Bering Sea with her father and brothers, Lola unmasks an abandoned ship containing a large amount of riches. However, the money and jewels aren't the only thing on the ship...
1. Chapter 1

The sultry sound of the voluptuous Italian singer drifted over the ballroom. Her voice alone was enough to cause a man hand over his wallet, but accompanied with a string quartet, it was like paradise. The dapper elite swayed together, clinking their expensive glasses of chardonnay together as they toasted their wealth. The men spoke of JFK's presidency while the women gossiped over what a tragedy Marilyn Monroe's death.

Lodged deep within the cabin suites sat Tate Langdon. The last of his white powder stash was working its way into his system. He twitched as he frantically assembled the guns he smuggled onto the ship.

That was the good thing about Italian cruises- they were too preoccupied keeping their heads up each other's asses to have solid security.

He was going to show them. He was going to show them all. Especially his mother.

Thinking of her made Tate want to gag. She'd brought him along on the cruise as she chased some wealthy man's wallet. She'd always told Tate he had so much potential to be the perfect child, unlike his siblings, he had flawless looks. He was going to be the perfect businessman. He was going to make some girl very happy with all of his money. He was the only thing she had done right in her life. Her constant fluff of praise made him sick.

His mother was such a gold-digging whore.

A few months before his mother started chasing the wealthy, she had locked a poor, family man into a dangerous affair. Tate knew his mother wasn't happy with the relationship, but she loved the power she had over the man. With that power, she had the man do one thing she never could bring herself to do- kill Tate's siblings.

And you know what? He did it. He killed them. He suffocated Beau and Addie, and made it look like an accident. Sure, there was an investigation, but the hype died down shortly. Right after the suspicion left, his rotten mother left the poor bastard and started chasing a new man- a wealthier man. And that's how they ended up in Italy boarding a massive liner.

Tate didn't care to hide the guns as he left the cabin. He wanted everyone to see.

He knocked down every door in every hall, his gun spraying death at the innocent children put to bed by their parents. It was easy enough, and they didn't put up too much of a fight. The music above masked the sound.

His gun was aimed at anyone that crossed his path. Staff members, elegantly dressed women with swirling hair, teenagers slipping away to consummate a fling. He killed them all.

The ballroom was going to be harder to take down. Though he was high and delirious, Tate crafted a plan. He snuck into a storage room and grabbed some chains and locks. Dragging them out, he tightly secured all of the doors but one. To get out, they'd have to get past him. And that wasn't going to happen.

Calmly, he strode into the luxurious room, draped in vibrant reds and plastered in gorgeous woods. He made eye contact with the busty woman on stage. Her voice was soothing. He smiled as he thought of how wonderful it would be if she kept singing as he opened fire.

Tate sought out his mother. No one seemed to notice the haul of weaponry he carried. They either thought they were fake, or they were too wrapped up in their own lives to notice him passing by.

He found his mother at the center of the ballroom. Her body was tightly wrapped in a sparkling gown that trailed on the floor. She looked happy as she danced with the captain of the ship.

Two for one special.

His mother noticed him, but before she could say anything, Tate cocked his gun and raised it. He sent a bullet straight through her forehead, execution style. Quickly, he shot a round at the ship's captain.

There was a stunned moment of silence as the room processed what had just happened. Tate, however, didn't waste any time. He continued his massacre. The screams clouded his head, mixing in with the sound of the gun. People pounded on the doors, trying to escape. Tate picked them out, one by one, until the screaming finally stopped.

The once white marbled floor was painted red and cluttered with bodies. It was almost funny how elegant everything still looked, though it was covered in a layer of thick crimson.

His drug induced murderous rampage continued. Tate dunked in and out of rooms, seeking out anybody he had missed in his first wave. And when he was sure he had eradicated all the yuppie scum on the ship- Tate walked out onto the deck.

He held a single gun with a single bullet. He looked out over the dark ocean as he raised the gun to his head.

Then he pulled the trigger.


	2. Chapter 2

"Come on, damn it!"

The icy black water of the Bering Sea crashed against the small fishing boat, The Saga, owned and operated by the Campbell family.

It was a small boat that employed only the family. Rodney Campbell had owned and operated The Saga for nearly fifteen years, though he had worked on boats since he was in his early teenage years. He had a family to support, three sons and a daughter. After earning enough money to invest in his own fishing boat, Rodney decided to enlist the help of his own sons, Rodney Jr., Josh, and Aaron, to operate the fishing boat. It was a dangerous job, yes, but it was all they could do to survive.

Then his wife became pregnant again. Rodney expected another son. Instead, he got Lola. She was a spitting image of her mother- thick brown locks that danced in curls down her back, eyes so black they resembled the depths of the ocean, and creamy skin that gave a nod to her Inuit ancestors.

When she was a small child, Lola's mother wanted nothing more than for her daughter to learn to sew and cook. She was strong on tradition. However, being the youngest child, and a girl at that, Lola wanted to emulate her siblings. Her brothers weren't sitting at home, twiddling their thumbs together. They were going on adventure! So she traded her sewing needles in for fishing poles.

Lola began begging her parents to go out crab fishing from the moment she turned 14, which is when her brothers began to go on the boat. They were not having it. It took Lola three years of constant begging and pleading to get them to agree, mostly to get her to shut up, to venture out into the harsh waters of the Bering Sea.

That's how Lola landed on the slippery surface of The Saga in the middle of the night.

She steadied herself against the tub as RJ and Josh pulled the pots up from the tumultuous sea. They had 200 pots to start the season.

"Lola! Get your head in the game! This isn't the time to be a wimp!"

A gush of water rushed over the deck, pushing Lola a few steps back. She struggled to gain her footing. With a hard face, she pushed forward. She grabbed onto the pot and helped pull it over.

"27!" Aaron screamed, so their father could hear it.

They had been working for seven straight hours. RJ, Josh, and Aaron were worn but pushing through. They were used to the hard hours. It was Lola's first run on the ship, and she wasn't used to it.

Aaron sensed her fatigue and encouraged, "Come on, baby sis! We've got 20 pots to go. You can do it!"

But she couldn't do it. She'd spent her entire life fishing, but this was completely different. She had spent some time training before heading out for the season, but no amount of training could have prepared her for the long, never ending shifts and the laborious work.

Lola's legs buckled and she lurched forward. The deck, sloshing with water, beckoned her forward. She couldn't stop herself as she got closer to the edge of the boat. She felt herself leaning forward, tipping over…

When two strong arms strangled her from behind. RJ, her oldest brother, had grabbed her just as she began to fall. He jerked her backwards, and the two toppled down, back against the hard metal of the pot.

"God damn it, Lola!" He exhaled. "What are you doing?"

"Fishing," She sighed, still surprised she was alive. "What are you doing?"

"Smart ass," He grunted, pushing her up.

"Come on!" Their father yelled. "We can't lose this time! Keep going!"

Josh was both annoyed at his father's insensitivity and his sister's stupidity.

"Are you going to be okay to keep going?" He called out over the howl of the water.

"I can do it!" Lola snapped. She reached to grab the lining of the next pot. "Someone help me!"

Pot after pot, the crew strained and pulled under the watchful eye of their father. The first night of the season was always hard, but tonight, the sea was being especially horrendous. Even the veterans of the sea were getting a beating from the Bearing Sea. By the time the final pot was lifted, Lola felt as if she was going to break.

With the final count of the strings of pots done, the crew retreated to the salon of the boat. They stripped their wet gear off and changed into dry clothing. They were to report to the central salon when they were finished changing.

They were a small crew, even compared to tiny companies. Because they were so small, they had to work together to get things done. That meant even the might Captain Rodney had to help out. He had a modest dinner of canned and packaged food laid out on the table.

Lola was the last to walk in. She frowned under the eye of her family.

No one said anything as she sat down and began shoveling the green beans into her mouth. She hadn't had a bite of food all day, and her body was about to devour itself.

"Don't tell me how disappointed you are. I can tell by the way you all are looking at me." She said sarcastically between inhales of food.

"You scared us all to hell and back," RJ grumbled.

"Well, Dad, what do you have to say?" Lola frowned as she turned to her father.

Rodney was well into his 50's. His hair had been white for years as a result of the hard work of the Sea. The hair on his head was thin, but it was always covered by a dark beanie. His face was worn with wrinkles. He had an untamed white beard that he always twisted when he was angry.

And he was twisting it right now.

"Don't talk to me like that," He growled. "Don't make me regret bringing you, Lola. And don't make me pull back into port one child short and tell your mother you were too stupid to behave on this god forsaken boat and you went overboard."

The room fell into silence. The Campbell children weren't strangers to their father's high demands and anger outbursts.

Lola slowly shoveled instant mashed potatoes into her mouth, "You're such a Negative Nancy."

Her father's hand collided with her face, stinging the fork out of her hand and across the room. Lola closed her eyes hard for a second to push back her tears. She popped out of the booth and stormed down the hall to the small row of bunks.

She was assigned the top bunk, though it was way too high for her. She had no idea how to get up there. She tried climbing on the lower bunks, but the strategy failed miserably. Lola landed on the cold floor of the boat.

She was tired. Her body was sore. Her hands were raw. She was freezing. And she was crying.

"You know you sort of were asking for that."

Aaron stood in the doorway with his arms crossed. He was closest to her in age- being 21.

Lola dragged her sleeve across her face, "How long have you been there?"

"For as long as you've been on the floor."

Aaron slid across the floor and sat next to her. He rubbed her leg tenderly and said,

"The first few days are rough. We told you that."

"I didn't realize they would be this hard," Lola sniffled. "I feel like I'm disappointing Dad, you know?"

Lola wasn't sure Aaron knew what she meant. He was male, after all. When Lola was born, her dad was upset. She knew he was. He had another mouth to feed but not another set of hands to help him.

"Here, let me help you get up in your bunk," Aaron offered.

Aaron lifted Lola up off the floor and gave her a boost into the top bunk. Lola immediately wrapped the blankets around her body. The first day was barely over and she was already a broken bag of bones. She had no idea how her father and brothers did this year after year. She had no idea how she was going to make it through the next few weeks.


	3. Chapter 3

The Bearing Sea morning was just as harsh as its evening. The wind and waves actually seemed harsher in the hazy light.

After only a few brief hours of sleep, the tired crew rose to prepare the boat for the upcoming strings of pots. The men argued under hushed tones as they gazed up at a sleeping Lola. RJ managed to convince his father to let the girl sleep for a few more hours.

As harsh as Rodney was, he did love his children. He didn't want his youngest child to break on the second day.

When Lola did eventually wake on her own terms, she was more than confused. The bunks around her were empty. She struggled to get down from the lofty bunked bed. She quickly layered her clothing and slipped on her heavy rain gear.

She was a little afraid when she ventured out onto the deck, fearing her family wouldn't be there. However, when she saw her brothers busy preparing the pots for the upcoming night, her fear transformed into anger.

"Were you just going to let me sleep all day?" She fumed, stomping over to Josh.

RJ intervened quickly, "It was my idea. I thought you'd need the sleep. Besides, we're fixing everything that got messed up last night."

"I'm part of this crew, too," Lola frowned.

"Fine," RJ said tensely. He had thought he'd be doing her a favor. He didn't expect the backlash. "You can go down into the holding tank and secure the boards so the crabs don't get hurt."

Lola started to protest. Securing the boards was a tough job for one man, let alone a 17 year old girl. But she didn't want to give her brother the satisfaction of saying she couldn't do it. Instead, she turned and walked to the northern part of the boat where the holding tank was.

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Aaron walking towards her.

"Let me help you," He said as he nudged her out of the way and grabbed the ropes. "This lid weighs a lot."

"It's set up on a levy," Lola rolled her eyes. "I'm not a little girl, Aaron."

Aaron slowly dropped the lid on the deck. It landed with a dense thud.

"Maybe," He smiled. "But you're still my little sister. Have fun down there. Holler if you need anything."

Lola made a face as she dropped down into the massive holding cell for the crabs.

The cell was separated into three main parts for the crabs, divided with thick boards. Each section filled with sea water before the catch was dropped in. Currently, only one of the sections was full of water, allowing Lola room to walk around in the musty crustacean jail cells. Occasionally the boards would weather and crack. She was given the task to make sure the boards were intact, and if one was cracking, to fix it.

A cracked board was a major red flag for crab fishers. If a crab died, it not only was a profit lost, but it released toxins that had the potential to kill ten other crabs. A chain reaction would follow. One dead crab has the potential to ruin an entire season.

Lola, armed with her tool kit, climbed up the makeshift stairs between the first and second area. The first section was slushing with sea water and contained the previous day's catch, roughly 4,000 crabs.

She whipped her flashlight out and flashed it into the water, "Hello little guys! You smell particularly fishy today. Are you all alive? …. I'll take that as a yes. It looks like you're keeping the place well kept- I don't see any broken boards."

She climbed back down to the tiny corridor between each divided area. Moving onto the middle section, she dropped to her knees to check the bottom boards. She stuck the flashlight into her mouth so she could use both hands to search.

A few feet into her search, she found a snag.

"I found you," She sang out, pulling her bag of tools up.

She was in the middle of rummaging around when a loud, echoing thump removed the natural light from the holding cell. She jerked to flash the light up. Her fear was confirmed- someone had shut the lid on her.

The situation got worse when the seawater began to fill the second holding tank.

Lola scooped up the tool bag and clumsily scuttled over to the wobbly stairs. She tried to get as close to the lid as possible by standing on her tip toes. She stuck the flashlight back in her mouth and used both hands to pound on the lid.

"**HEY! I'M IN HERE! AARON! RJ! DAD! JOSH! SOMEONE! I'M STILL DOWN HERE!"**

No luck. The lid stayed shut. Lola kept pounding on the heavy metal lid, hoping the noise would cause a disturbance on the deck. Her hands began to get raw after a few minutes of constant pounding. She didn't want to look down at the rising level of water.

It was already at the third step of the short set of stairs. She didn't have a lot of time left.

"**SOMEBODY! I'M TRAPPED DOWN HERE!"**

When her parents told her she was allowed to go on The Saga for the season, Lola knew she had to prepare herself for death. Her family had been unusually lucky having never lost a crew member. However lucky they were, deaths were a constant threat in the crab fishing business. Coming onto the boat, she knew there was a risk that she might not make it home. After last night, she thought she'd be safe. Apparently not. She was going to die trapped in a holding cell for crabs. She was going to drown.

Drowning wasn't the most pleasant way to die, she thought. It was probably one of the worst.

The water was now at her feet. It was going to be any minute now.

All of a sudden, there was scratching noise and a "POP!" A flood of natural light nearly blinded Lola.

"Lo!" Aaron yelled, his head peeking down into the hole. "Shit! Thank God you're alright. Here, grab onto my arms. I'm going to pull you up."

Lola did as he said, latching onto her brother like a leech. He yanked her up to the deck. She took a deep breath of the fresh air.

"What the hell happened?" She gasped.

"The dumbass over there closed cell," Aaron sneered, glaring at Josh.

Josh jumped to defend himself, "I thought she went to lunch."

"You know you're supposed to double check, man," RJ said. "Let's just be glad we got to her in time."

Lola rose to her feet, "Yeah. Thanks a lot guys."

Rodney exited the cabin and walked over to his daughter. He was stroking his beard- not a good sign.

"This is the second time you've almost died, Lola."

"It wasn't my fault this time… sir," She said calmly, crossing her arms. She was still pissed at him for hitting her last night, but she didn't want to make him mad enough to hit her again.

Rodney's hand left his beard, and Lola prepared for the worst. Instead of the hand colliding with her face, it touched her shoulder. It was an awkward gesture, but a gesture at that. He quickly lifted his hand and addressed all of his children.

"Yesterday wasn't terrible for the first day of the season, but we need to do better. Get back to work."

Without any backlash or groans, The Campbell clan got back to work stringing pots and securing everything on the deck for the long night ahead. They worked fast and hard, completing the rest of the work within an hour. The sky was turning marvelous shades of blues and blacks. They'd start dropping the first few strings of pots within the hour, but they were allotted a small break. Lola was heading down to the salon when RJ's deep voice said loudly,

"Hey! There's another boat! It doesn't look like a fisher."

Maybe ten miles out there was a boat bobbing in the water. It was hard to see, as the night was rapidly falling.

Rodney's head peaked out from the cabin, intrigued. He wanted to clarify that it wasn't competition. He inched the tiny fishing boat a few miles closer.

"I'll try to pick something up on the radio," He called out to the deck.

Rodney slid back into his worn seat. Sure enough, the radar sweep revealed a bright point of light in the middle of nowhere. He fiddled with the radio before saying clearly,

"Fishing boat at position on seven four one five west, five seven seven five north."

Josh, RJ, Aaron, and Lola crowded around their father.

"This is fishing boat Saga, Sierra Alfa Golf Alfa. Over."

The Campbell's were greeted with white noise. The point flashing on the screen seemed to dance to the lullaby of the static.

"They can't be anchored out there. It's way too deep," Josh mused.

"It defiantly looks like it's adrift," RJ commented. "It is way too big to be a fishing boat."

"A freighter, you think?" Lola shrugged.

Rodney looked at his daughter, "What the hell would a freighter be doing up here? There isn't a port for 800 miles."

"Smugglers," Aaron said, jumping to Lola's defense.

"Yeah. They're defiantly smugglers. Tundra grass is going for big bucks on the Black Market," Josh said sarcastically.

"Fishing boat at position on seven four one five west, five seven seven five north. This is fishing boat Saga, Sierra Alfa Golf Alfa. Do you copy? Over," Rodney repeated, holding the microphone close to his mouth.

Again, there was only a static hiss.

"Should we call the coast guard?" Lola asked.

Her brothers and father looked at her like she was from another planet. She defiantly had a lot to learn.

"We check it out."

The flood lights on The Saga illuminating the water in front of the boat. The Campbell's looked through squinted eyes into the darkness. The beeping dot on the radar grew closer and closer until- a looming shadow appeared.

They approached the vessel and the shadow was clarified. It was a giant rusting bow. Rodney tilted the searchlight up to reveal more of the massive, dark ship. The name "Fortuna" was displayed in bold letters on the side.

Rodney reached for the microphone, "Fortuna, this is Saga. Is there anyone aboard?"

The sound of their own boat was the only noise that drifted through the dark sky.

"Fortuna, I am hove to at your port bow. Is there anyone aboard?"

They waited for a minute, looking at the silent, darkened ship under the glare of their boat's lights. Rodney was aware that he was wasting precious fishing time, but this boat could be in distress. He rose and nodded at his oldest son,

"RJ, come with me. You guys sit tight."

They went onto the deck and whispered in hushed tones. Lola, who considered herself a master of reading lips, couldn't make out what they were saying. After a few moments they returned.

"Well?" Josh asked, apparently annoyed he wasn't invited to their discussion.

"Gear up. We're going aboard Fortuna."


	4. Chapter 4

Clad in heavy parkas, The Campbell family climbed a hydraulic deck crane up to Fortuna. They jumped onto the boat and illuminated the deck with their flashlights.

All remnants of paint had rusted over; making the vessel even more eerie than it was before. They moved along with caution. Despite the strange feeling the boat gave off, everything was in order. There was no apparent damage. Even the walls were rusted. They came to a flight of stairs. As they climbed the stairs, Rodney mused,

"This boat is old- maybe sixty years. She's been out of service for at least twenty."

The stairs unfolded into a wider passageway. Their lights revealed sinks, counters, and racks of old kitchen equipment. They moved through the galley onto a smaller hall.

"How the hell did she get out here?" RJ asked.

Rodney was on the verge of answering his son when he pulled the group to a stop at the top of the stairway. They were looking over an immense ballroom. Their light was barely enough to see the ornate nature of the sweeping ballroom. Everything was still in place. Tables and chairs covered with fine linen surrounded the large dance floor and orchestra well. Above the dance floor was a magnificent crystal chandelier that danced under the flash of their lights.

"It's a goddamn passenger ship," He muttered.

"There isn't anyone here," Josh stated flatly.

"No shit, Sherlock," Lola snickered.

"I mean," Josh sneered. "What is a seven hundred foot passenger liner doing out here? It just drifted here and nobody bumped into it until right now?"

"Whatever the reason, she's abandoned," RJ said tersely.

"Yes," Rodney thought, his eyes lighting up. "She is abandoned, isn't she? All alone on these International Waters…"

"Father…" Aaron softly trailed off. "You aren't thinking that we should… steal?"

Rodney gave his youngest son a hard stare, "Who knows what is on this ship, Aaron! Maybe millions of dollars. I could retire. You could retire. RJ could marry that dame he's dating and Josh could find himself a girl. Hell, even you! And Lola, do you want to put her through the rest of the season? You've seen what she's done so far."

"Hey!" Lola twisted her face into an angry expression.

Aaron knew his father would play dirty, but he didn't think he'd bring Lola into it.

"Fine," Aaron gritted.

"Let's keep going, then," Rodney grinned with triumph.

They trekked along through the halls, stopping first at the captain's office. Everything was perfectly preserved under a layer of dust.

What such luck, Rodney thought to himself. They were meant to find this boat. Whatever riches inside were theirs.

While her father and brothers ransacked the office, Lola flashed her light on the dirty wall. There were several framed photos. She steadied her light on a uniformed man. He was gaunt and stern-looking with dark eyes.

"He looks like an asshole," Aaron said, coming up next to her.

She briefly looked at her brother before turning back to the man, "I don't know. He has some old world charm. I think he is kind of handsome."

"Hey!" Rodney said, snapping his fingers at his youngest children. "We've decided to go back to Saga for the night. We can get a full eight hours of sleep for once."

"Are you sure you don't want to just… go back to crab fishing?" Lola asked with a hopeful face. She didn't feel right about going through the old vessel.

"Are you kidding?" Josh laughed. He held up a red stone that glistened under his light. "Do you know what this is? A ruby! A huge ass ruby! It is worth like, five grand. That is a night's work."

"And that isn't all we found," RJ added. "There are more jewels."

Josh sauntered over and held the sparkling ruby to one of Lola's ears, "Who knows, we might be able to keep this for you. A new set of earrings that will find you a boyfriend."

Lola swatted her brother's hand away, "I don't like earrings."

"Enough!" Rodney snapped. "We're going back to Saga. When we wake up tomorrow, we'll come back to the ship. It'll be lighter, so we can afford to split up."

The hallways were a maze. Lola was amazed her father remembered the path to get back to the deck. The night was fully settled, making the trip down the hydraulic crane even more dangerous than the trip up. Even with Aaron below her sending encouraging words, she found it difficult to slide down. She was almost at the bottom of the crane; she looked up into the darkness. A pale face stared back at her. It shocked her so much that she fell backwards into Aaron.

"Careful!" Aaron gasped.

He steadied his sister down on the Saga.

"Did you see that!" She exclaimed, frantically pointing her light up at the deck. Aaron followed the beam, but there was nothing there.

"What are you talking about?" Aaron questioned.

"There was a person!" She jumped. "I swear, someone was there."

"It was probably the light from the moon or something. Come on, Lo. You need to sit down."

Lola knew what she had seen. It wasn't a misty representation dancing in the night sky. It was a person. A boy- a teenager- with milky white skin and a mop of blond hair. He was staring at her with dead eyes and a wicked smile. It was real. She knew it.

But she let Aaron pull her into the salon. RJ and Josh were laughing hysterically as they spun the gems in their hands. Lola was disgusted. She slid into the booth behind the table and peeked at her father, who was flipping through documents.

"What are you looking at?"

Aaron sat next to her. He passed her a cup of coffee.

"Some charts. A crew manifest."

"Coffee, Dad?" Aaron offered Rodney an old, yellow mug.

Rodney grabbed the cup and took a long sip, "From what I can tell, Fortuna's last voyage was in 1962."

"I wonder where she's been since then…" Lola thought out loud.

"Who cares!" Josh exclaimed.

"I just think it is kind of creepy," Lola shrugged.

Josh set his hands on the table, obviously frustrated with his sister. "All I know, Lola, is that nobody is looking for this boat. Nobody misses the precious- oh Jesus, the precious things- that were with the boat."

Lola retired shortly after the conversation. Her eldest two brothers and father, however, decided to crack into the locked liquor stash. However, she couldn't sleep. Maybe it was the coffee. Or maybe it was that face. He was there. She tried to make herself think it was a figment of her imagination, but there was no way that was true.

After a few hours, she slipped out of her bunk. It wasn't an easy fall, but everyone was out cold.

"What are you doing?"

Everyone was out cold except for Aaron.

"I think I'm going to venture onto Fortuna."

"No! No! No!" Aaron groggily protested.

Lola smiled at her brother, "I'll take a radio. I'm a big girl, Aaron."

She didn't expect him to agree. He fell back down into the bed and let out a long sigh.

"Fine. Keep your radio on."

Lola bolted from the bunks before he had a chance to change his mind. In the salon, she sat a small bag on the table. She tossed in a granola bar, a flash light, and a knife- just in case.


	5. Chapter 5

She was eager to get onto Fortuna. Maneuvering her way onto the ship was easier the third time around. It looked a lot different under the early morning sun. Somehow, it looked a lot more eerie.

She ventured in the direction opposite of what she had gone the prior night. Down a hallway into a large public room. She glanced around. Light spilled in from the windows. It magnified the dust of the room. She moved around, studying the tables and chairs that were haphazardly placed. She stopped at one table.

A pair of glasses sat on a table. One was still stained with lipstick. She leaned over to examine the cup.

A shadow slid across the floor, catching her eye. She snapped straight, whipping around.

"Hello?" Lola called out.

She got no response, though she felt a pair of eyes on her. The eyes stayed on her as she exited the public room. She moved freely throughout the ship. Though the eyes followed her, she felt safe under the daylight.

She dipped down into the sub-deck, passing by the closed cabins that probably held thousands and thousands of dollars of old precious things. That is, until she came to the end of the hall. The door to the room at the end of the hall was wide open, as if it was begging her to enter.

When she passed through the door into the room, she felt a wave of... something… hit her. The eyes were watching her more closely as she moved around the room. Sitting on the middle of an antiqued desk was a black leather book. Lola hesitated for a second before picking it up.

The first few pages held chicken scratch stories of teen angst. After a few weeks, disturbing ink sketches of bodies hanging from trees and slit wrists. The homicidal and suicidal thoughts showed up in words, too. The life displayed on the pages was horrifying. A gold digging mother who exploited not only her mentally disabled children but her lovers. A mother that had two of her children murdered. The last entry was the most frightening, not to mention the most homicidal of them all. Below a sketch of a gun shooting a woman point plank to her head was an almost illegible account…

"_I am determined the scum of the world is grouped together on this damned ship. The worst of the worst. Maybe that is why I'm here. I managed to score some coke from a chef in exchange for some of my slut mom's jewelry. She won't miss it after tonight. None of them will miss their worthless shit. You know, today I was walking up to the deck earlier (My original plan was to jump ship, but I think killing them all is better- but I'll get to that in a second) when this blonde bitch pulled me into a closet. She tore my clothes off and was whispering something about how she'd been watching me the entire fucking trip- HOW FUCKED UP IS THAT- and that bad boys like me turned her on. Come to think of it, she did have some big tits. Maybe if I wasn't so suicidal I would've stayed and played along. But I bolted. I didn't end up jumping the boat. Good thing, because now I have this BRILLIANT idea. To kill them all. My bitch mom will be first. She actually told me today that I have to make sure I'm on my best behavior tonight so she can snag herself a good one. That poor sap, I'm doing him a favor. __The world is a_ _filthy_ _place_; _it's_ a _filthy goddamn horror show…"_

_"It's fucked up, isn't it?"_

_Lola's eyes snapped up and she dropped the book as she let out a horrified yelp. He was standing directly in front of her with a cocky smile._

His dirty blonde hair was somewhere between curly and straight. It was stuck on the top of his head like a mop. His eyes were jet black. She knew they were the eyes that had been following her all day. His face, his face was both petrifying and handsome. Those lips were curled into a smile. He was wearing a thin white cotton shirt with the sleeves bunched up at the elbows. It had a low scooping collar that exposed the edges of his collarbones. Over top of the shirt was a pair of black suspenders that locked into his dark slacks. On his feet he wore a worn out pair of black cap toe shoes.

"Sorry about the outfit. A bit formal for our first date, huh? I've tried taking it off a thousand times. I guess I'm stuck with it. It looked a lot better with the blood. The red really popped."

Lola fumbled with her bag. She held the knife out shakily, "Who the hell are you?"

"I think you have a pretty good idea who I am after sneaking a peak into my journal."

He took a few steps towards her. She jabbed the knife into the air.

"Go ahead!" He laughed. "I told you, the blood really pops."

She was face to face with a goddamn madman. She tried to take a few steps backwards, but she was unfamiliar with the layout of the room, and she tripped over her own feet. Her instincts kicked in, and she dropped the knife to steady herself.

"Shit!" She cursed loudly.

Before she had a chance to blink, the knife was in the maniac's hands. She turned to make a run for it, but he waved his arm and the door blew shut.

"Look," She tried to reason. "Just let me go. I won't tell anyone what happened here. I promise. Okay?"

"Lola, Lola, Lola," He grinned. "I thought you were stronger than this."

"How do you know my name?" She cried loudly.

"I'm observant," He shrugged. "I know our date can't begin until I properly introduce myself. Tate. See? Now we can get the show on the road."

"If you let me go, I'll make my dad and brothers leave. We'll leave you alone, I promise."

Tate's face scrunched in confusion, "Why would I want that to happen, Lola? We're on a date right now! I don't want my date to leave. I apologize for the way I'm acting; I just haven't been around such a gorgeous lady like you in a long time. Your skin is so… gorgeous. Besides, you guys won't be going anywhere. Not after what I did to your boat."

"What the hell did you do to my boat?" Lola screamed.

"Feisty!" Tate smiled. "That's the Lola I like."

"**WHO THE FUCK ARE YOU?"** Lola belted. Her face was contorted in fear.

Tate raised the knife with a frown, "I didn't mean to scare you. I always hurt the ones I love."

He brought the knife to his face and put it in his mouth. He jerked it to the left, carving deep into his flesh. Then to the right, mimicking the left side. He created a permanent smile on his face. The skin tissue from the wounds flared up and open, bubbling disgusting white puss. Like a waterfall, blood poured out of his open mouth. His teeth were stained a disturbing shade of crimson.

"I'm sorry, Lola. I didn't mean to hurt you."

He disappeared into thin air. Lola breathed deeply, inhaling the stale air in the cabin. She wanted to scream, but she couldn't feel anything in her lungs.

"Lo! Hey, Lola! Come on, pick up?"

The radio! How was she so stupid that she didn't think of the radio?

She carefully picked up the radio and spoke shakily into it,

"Aaron?"

"For fucks sake!" He exhaled through the static. "I have been trying to get ahold of you for an hour. We're here… or I'm here. Josh and RJ wanted to go look for more jewelry. Dad's still passed out on the boat."

Lola shoveled the black journal and the bloody knife into her bag as she spoke, "I'll come to you. Meet me on the deck."

She was already running out of the room and down the labyrinth of halls when he responded.

"Are you okay, Lo? You sound scared."

"I'll explain later."

Lola navigated through the weaving halls. She pawed at the stairs as she climbed up them, dying to see the deck. Aaron was waiting for her, nervously pacing. When she popped into the sunlight, gasping for breath, he rushed over to her. He grabbed onto her arms.

"What's wrong?"

"Do you remember last night when I told you about the face?" She breathed.

Aaron let out a sigh, "Yeah, I remember."

"He's real! He knows who I am. He- don't look at me like that, Aaron! I'm being serious. I just lived through the most horrific experience of my life."

"It's just," Aaron rubbed his neck, pausing for a second. "I think the season isn't what you expected, and you're coping with it by imagining things. It's okay to admit you can't do something."

Lola stomped her foot, "Listen to me, Aaron! I have proof."

She pulled the knife out of the bag. It wasn't stained with fresh blood. It looked just as it had before she went into the room. She looked at the item with wonder.

"It was just…"

"Okay. Let's find RJ and Josh-"

"Wait, wait, wait!" Lola yelped.

She pulled out the leather bound notebook and shoved it against Aaron's chest. He flipped through the book slowly, his eyes growing as he tabbed through the pages.

"Holy shit," He breathed.

"It's him, Aaron. You have to believe me."

"I think there is some other explanation. Whoever wrote this was obviously really messed up. Maybe they did do something bad on this boat. But I don't think his _ghost_ is haunting it, Lo."

"I can't believe you! You are always with me. You sound just like RJ."

"Hey!" Aaron sneered. "Don't you dare say compare me to him. I've saved your ass so many times."

"I never asked you to," She spat.

Aaron's face softened, "You're just tired. Come on. Let's go back to The Saga. You can take a nap. Let the boys have their fun."

Lola caved, letting her brother pull her around to the railing. Maybe he was right.

"Uh, Lola?"

Lola looked up from the ground. She stared at an empty ocean. The Saga was missing. The boat wasn't even bouncing on the horizon. It had vanished.

"Oh my God," She whispered, her eyes wide. "He told me he messed with the boat."

Aaron belted, "Give your story a rest for a fucking second, Lola! Our boat is missing!"

Aaron pushed his sister out of the way as he stalked around the boat, peering over the railing as he went. The liner was big, and their fishing boat was small. It might have drifted and was hidden behind the vessel. Possibly.

This was a nightmare.

Lola wanted to run after him. Maybe she could convince him what happened to her in that cabin was real. Their missing boat was obviously evidence that her story was right. But she couldn't move. She was frozen in fear. Because Tate stood directly in front of her.


	6. Chapter 6

"I don't appreciate you sharing my most private thoughts, Lola," Tate said as he reached out and grabbed her. He held her close by the shoulders. "I guess I can forgive you this time. Just don't do it again."

"Aaron!" Lola bellowed, finally gaining the strength to scream. "Aaron!"

Tate was tall, but she could see Aaron rounding the corner in the distance. His face fell when he saw the mysterious figure holding his sister back. His light pace picked up as he began a full on sprint in her direction.

"Hey!" He screamed. "Leave her alone!"

Tate craned his neck around to peer at Aaron. He let out a wicked cackle. Aaron was closer now, inches away. He started to collide with Tate. Tate evaporated into the air, sending Aaron hurdling into his sister. The two collapsed on the ground with a thud.

"Do you believe me now?" Lola breathed hard.

Aaron rolled over onto his back, "What was that?"

"Tate. He told me his name is Tate. That horrid notebook I showed you is his work of art."

"Holy shit. This is real," Aaron rushed, running a hand through his hair.

"This is real."

Before they could think a second about what had happened, Aaron jumped up, pulling Lola with him.

"We've got to find RJ and Josh."

Lola agreed. As horrid as her eldest two brothers had been acting, they were still her brothers. She wasn't going to let a psychopathic ghost harm them.

They bolted down the corridors. Aaron frantically messed with the radio, receiving only a static buzz. Lola pounded on doors, searching for anything. All she wanted as a sign.

And a sign she got.

A booming scream sliced the air. It was Josh.

"Come on!" Aaron yelled, pulling Lola in the direction of the noise.

A rusted over door stood between the two and their brothers. When they managed to get the door open, a deadly scene lay in front of them.

RJ was lying on the dirty tiled floor of what seemed to be a recreational pool and exercise area. He was barely conscious and bleeding from a nasty head wound. There were bars of gold surrounding his body, spilling out of a burlap knapsack. Hanging above what should have been an empty pool, but was now a swirling vat of blood and half decayed corpses, was Josh. A hook, wet with fresh blood, stuck out of his abdomen. He was still alive, having been strung up seconds ago. His dark eyes gave Lola and Aaron a look that told them to run as fast as they could. His lips moved apart slightly, gurgling out a glop of blood instead of words.

"I didn't want you to see me like this, Lola!" Tate exclaimed with an embarrassed laugh. His hand was still on the chain linked to Josh's body. "Oh well."

He let go of the chain. The metal quickly clinked, grinding as it release the heavy load. Josh's body hit the pool of blood with a sickening noise. It was engulfed by the blood's eager arms.

Lola couldn't contain herself. She let out a cry.

"You bastard! What is wrong with you?"

"Love is a crazy thing, huh?" Tate shrugged.

He took a few steps in the direction of Aaron and Lola. RJ, who was still hanging onto his mind, grabbed at Tate's ankle as a last ditch effort to stop him. Tate smiled as he swiftly kicked RJ's gut, sending him into a black coma.

"Don't come near us," Aaron warned, pushing Lola backwards a few steps.

"You should know not to get in between me and my love."

"You're crazy!" Lola exclaimed. "You're a sick, crazy monster!"

"That is the sweetest thing you've ever said to me," Tate grinned, putting a hand over his heart.

"What do you want?" Aaron questioned.

"Stupid question."

There was a rush as Tate powered forward with inhuman speed. He took Aaron off guard, blowing him backwards. They crashed against a wall. Aaron quickly recovered from the blow and buried his fists into Tate's stomach. Tate was not affected, however. He tossed Aaron onto the ground like a ragdoll. A cloud of dust surrounded the two. When it disappeared moments later, they were wrestling on the ground. Aaron was weak, but he was determined. No amount of determination could last long against the entity. Aaron fell limp. Tate quickly made sure the boy wouldn't wake for a while, rose and approached Lola.

Lola turned and ran. Tate appeared in front of her. She pivoted sharply, with the intention of going the opposite direction. She tripped over her boots, falling forward. She prepared herself for impact with the floor.

But Tate scooped her up. She struggled, thrashing against his rock-like body.

"What is with this cat and mouse game, sweetheart?" Tate growled against the flesh of her neck.

"Let me go!" Lola yelled.

Tate shushed her, "Never. This might sting a bit. I'm sorry."

She was on the verge of questioning him when she felt a prickling over her body. The corridor grew fuzzy. The world around them slipped away, briefly colored white, and then faded into another room. The stinging sensation reached its peak when the white surrounded them. It disappeared as the room cleared up.

"What-"

"Welcome to your new home," Tate chirped. He added, "You can stop fighting. I'm not going to hurt you."

Lola laughed at the absurdity of his words, "You killed one of my brothers, possibly killed the other two, and did God knows what to my dad and our boat. Do you think I'm going to just give up?"

"Ideally," Tate said from above her. "And ideally, I'd like you to be a good little girl while I'm gone. I know that isn't like you though, Lola. It's okay though. Just don't break too many things. They're antique."

With that, he disappeared. Lola was fighting the air. She stopped and let out a bone shaking scream. It wasn't laced with fear. It was laced with anger. A tornado named Tate just ripped her life apart.

She decided to look around at the area she was being kept captive in. She was in a bedroom. It was well lit and clean, unlike the other parts of the ship. If that's even where she was. A large circular bed was the focal point of the room. It was covered with a vibrant red blanket. There were nightstands on either side of the bed. An overstuffed chair was a few feet to the right of the bed, placed in front of an oak wardrobe. On the opposite side of the room was a wall of books. A coffee table sat in front of the shelves, displaying a curving piece of brown pottery. There was also an old rocking horse pushed to the corner of the room. There was only one door. It was open, and Lola knew it wasn't an exit. She peeked inside. It was a bathroom. A sparkling claw footed tub was wedged between two tall cabinets containing towels and other toiletries. On the opposite side of the tub was a toilet, a sink and a mirror.

Lola plopped to the ground with a lonely thud. She had no idea where she was. She was being held against her will by some sort of love-stricken psychopathic ghost. And she was completely alone.


	7. Chapter 7

_Hey guys! It's a short one today, sorry! I have 18 credit hours this semester, so it's really hart to balance writing and getting all my work done while still going to classes. Enough excuses, though! Hopefully this can keep everyone happy for a few days until I get the next one out! _

* * *

><p>Time passed slowly. Lola was exhausted from fighting against Tate, but she was not going to allow herself to fall asleep. She decided to investigate the room further- mostly scanning the lines of leather-bound books with yellow pages. There were boating books. Some of the guides displayed vintage photos of liners and mechanics of ships. There were a few novels; classics like Moby Dick. A large chunk of shelves were dedicated to an extensive encyclopedia. Lola grabbed one at random. Flipping through, she realized how dated the information was- maybe fifty years or so.<p>

As hard as she struggled to stay away, her body was shutting down. She caved. She stepped out of her heavy clothes and climbed into the unnaturally comfortable bed. The blankets wrapped around her and sang her to sleep. She told herself she'd need the rest.

Lola was afraid when she woke. Her surroundings were unfamiliar. She sat up, letting out a barely audible gasp. It all came rushing back. To make matters worse, Tate was sitting on the floor with his back to her. He was focused on book.

Lola moved slowly, trying not to make a sound as she climbed out of the bed. Her efforts were thwarted by a squeak from the bed.

"Good afternoon, beautiful. Sleep well?" Tate said over his shoulder, not bothering to move from his spot on the ground.

Lola was at a loss for words. She wanted to attack him in a spiteful range. But he looked so… normal…

"Where am I?" She finally managed to squeak.

Tate turned, spinning around. His messy hair fell into his eyes- eyes that were looking at Lola's half naked body. She was suddenly aware of how she looked and covered her chest with the blanket.

"I didn't think it was possible for you to be more beautiful, but that was before I saw you like this."

Against her will, Lola blushed. She looked away, hoping to hide the color.

"Where am I?" She repeated.

"We," Tate emphasized. "Are in my abode. Or as I like to think of it, our love nest."

"We left the boat?" Lola panicked.

""No. Used to be the Captain's quarters."

Lola's eyes darted around the room. If it had been the captain's area, there had to be a door leading to the rest of the boat.

"The bed is comfortable, right?" Tate asked, changing the subject.

Lola fought with her words. There was no way badgering him was going to get her released. She was going to have to play into his sick little game.

"I didn't know ghosts slept," She said.

Tate explained, "I don't sleep. Well, it's complicated. I call it drifting. It's like dreaming, only it is way more intense. It's hard to explain, actually. I don't get tired or anything, but my body craves the drift after a while."

"Are there other ghosts on the ship?"

"You're awfully curious," He observed, then answered. "There were. All of them- that I had killed were here. For a while, at least. They started to ascend after a while. Now all that's left is me."

"You're stuck here as a punishment."

"That's one theory. I like to think I'm too sexy for whatever comes next."

Lola let out a genuine laugh, tilting her head to the side. The blanket slipped from her grasp. She quickly sobered up and adjusted it to cover herself.

"You are so beautiful, you know that, right?" Tate said softly.

An awkward silence fell upon them. Lola wasn't sure what to say or do. She was in the process of internally bashing herself for starting to let Tate grow on her. Being charismatic had to be a prerequisite for being a psychopathic serial killer. She was in the middle of reminding herself that he had JUST killed Josh when her stomach growled.

"So, are you going to let me slowly starve to death?" She asked, breaking the silence.

Tate hopped to his feet. He adjusted his suspenders as he walked across the room. Lola watched his body move under the fabric of his shirt. The ripple of his muscles was evident.

"I could take it off, you know," Tate chuckled, snapping her to attention. He was staring at her with a cocky grin. "My clothes only stay off for a while, though. Then they zap back to my body. It's a little weird."

"Food," Lola stammered.

He opened up the wardrobe to reveal a closet full of clothes and a stockpile of food and drinks. Lola was in awe. None of it looked like it was 50 years old. Not caring that she was in her bra and underwear, she hopped out of bed and padded over to the wardrobe. Yep. All of the clothing was brand new and modern- still displaying a price tag. The food's expiration dates were all well off.

Tate held up a revealing piece of lingerie and suggested, "Feel free to wear this constantly."

She scolded him with her eyes, but said, "Where did you get all of this stuff? I thought you couldn't leave the boat."

"Oh, I can leave the boat," Tate clarified. "But only for a little bit of time. Then I zap back… like my clothes. I'm bound to the boat, but I can leave."

"So you left earlier to _steal_ all of this."

"Yeah."

"I'm not-"

"You're hungry, Lola," Tate sighed. He held up an apple.

She snatched the piece of fruit from his hands and took a big bite. It crunched in her mouth. Tate pulled out a steaming steak. She wasn't sure where he got it from, but she was glad it was there. Even though her mouth was full, she spoke,

"When I get done eating, I'm going to go back to being mad at you."

"So you aren't mad at me right now?" He said coyly.

"You're a psychopathic murder who is keeping me captive. I hate you. But all I've had to eat in days is canned green beans and granola bars."

So much for trying to play into his game.

Tate was obviously hurt by her words. He turned away, but still said softly,

"Everyone makes mistakes, Lola. You just have to look past the bad to see the good."


	8. Chapter 8

Lola waited until Tate left to go to sleep. When she woke up, he was still missing from the room. She was cautious as she slid out of the bed. He'd made it known that he could appear from thin air. What if he could be invisible too?

Her own stench was so overpowering that she decided to gamble. She tip toed into the bathroom. The porcelain bathtub was so inviting. She sat at the edge and turned the knob. The water spurted out of the faucet for a second before streaming out. She tested it to make sure it was hot before getting up. She grabbed a cream colored towel from a cabinet and draped it over the sink.

The cabinet also housed a variety of soaps and shampoos. The labels were all Italian or French- nothing she could actually read. She popped a few caps and sniffed before settling on a set of lilac scented products.

After placing the toiletries near the tub and shutting off the water, she began to strip out of her dirty clothes. They lay in a heap on the floor. She dipped a toe into the water. It was _scolding_. She drew back, shocked by the temperature. A second passed before she took the plunge and put her entire leg in. Then her other leg. She let out a moan as she lowered herself into the boiling water.

She was almost done lathering when she heard a noise from the other room.

Shit. Lola jumped up out of the tub. The dirty water splashed beneath her. She almost fell as she reached for the towel.

"Go away, Tate!" She screamed as she wrapped the towel around her body. She slammed the bathroom door shut.

There wasn't a lock, but Tate didn't try to open the door.

"Do you feel better?"

"Just leave so I can put some clothes on. I'm not in the mood for your games right now, okay?"

"They're not games," He hissed.

"Okay!" Lola apologized. "Okay. They're not games. Can I just please have some clothes?"

The wardrobe door opened and closed before Tate cracked open the door to the bathroom, tossing in a tiny piece of clothing. Lola looked to the ground. Of course.

It was the sexy nightwear. She picked it up to get a better look at the garment. The babydoll was light pink. The push-up brazier was trimmed with leopard print. It tied in the front. The sheer fabric on the rest of the top was split down the middle, flying away to the side. There was a matching thong attached.

"There is no way I'm wearing this!" Lola laughed.

"It's that or nothing at all," Tate said.

"This is basically like nothing at all. I'd be more covered up if I wore this towel."

"That works for me."

Lola let out an exhausted sigh. She dropped her towel and slinked into the piece of cloth. She'd never worn anything like it before, and she defiantly felt uncomfortable. She peeked at herself in the mirror, and her eyes nearly bugged out of her head. Her wet hair drew attention straight down her frame. Her bust was enhanced by the trimmed push up piece. Her toned stomach was more revealed than it ever had been with the flyaway piece. And the thong- the thong was defiantly the most uncomfortable piece.

"What's going on in there?" Tate called out. She could hear the glee in his voice.

Lola picked up the towel and wrapped it tight over her body. She threw open the door, hoping to hit Tate in the process. But he was sitting on the bed wearing the biggest smirk she'd ever seen in her entire life.

"Drop the towel," He ordered.

"Tate-"

He pushed himself off the bed and took a big step in her direction. He didn't look happy.

Lola unwillingly let go of the towel. It fell to her feet.

Tate didn't move. His face was frozen. He didn't grin or smirk or frown. His eyes were stuck on her. They traveled up and down her body a few times before holding her gaze. Lola didn't know what to do. She tried crossing her arms over her chest, but dropped them.

Tate finally came closer. He put his hands on her abdomen. She was shocked at how cool they were. They were soft, though, and somehow warmed her. He pulled her against his body, and then tilted her head up so she was looking at his face.

His eyes were so _black_. There was no hint of color. They dug into her.

Tate dipped his head. His lips pressed against Lola's. She fought for a second, not wanting to kiss him back. But he was so inviting.

It only took a moment for Lola to remember who was in front of her. She was holding on to the man that killed her brother. She was kissing the man that harmed her other two brothers. She was beginning to like the man that sent her father to God knows where.

Lola pushed Tate away, sending him toppling backwards. He caught his footing and yelled,

"What the hell are you doing?"

"Get away from me!"

Tate grabbed Lola by the wrist as she tried to escape into the bathroom. With her free hand, she slapped Tate. His face showed his shock, but he didn't let go. Instead, he tightened his grip. He roughly whipped Lola back towards him, then onto the bed. She bounced, scrambling to get away. Before she could even sit up, Tate flew on top of her. He pinned her down.

Lola struggled. She thrashed, her words were like venom,

"Get off me! You're fucking crazy!"

"Don't talk to me like that," Tate hissed.

He tried to silence her by kissing her, but her muffled screams still got to him. Next, he tried just ignoring her. He kissed her neck, suckling on her sweet skin. But her head shook from side to side, making it impossible for him to concentrate. His hand cupped her breasts. That was the final straw for Lola.

"What are you doing?" She screamed. "You're going to rape me? Get off!"

Tate sped off, backing up into the wall. Lola, propped up on her elbows, was flabbergasted. Tears streamed down her face as she babbled,

"What do you think you're doing?"

"NO!" Tate snapped loudly. "What do you think you're doing! What the fuck do you think you're doing? I'm in charge here!"

"You said you loved me," Lola sobbed. "You don't do this to people you love, Tate."

Tate was confused and angered by her words. He flipped a switchblade out of his pocket and charged at Lola. She backed up against the headboard.

"Don't do this!" She cried. "Tate, I'm-"

Tate exposed one of his wrists and held the blade to it. He slashed his arm quickly a few times. As red pooled on top of his skin, he said shakily,

"You're right. You don't hurt the people you love. I should be punished."

"I didn't say that, Tate!" Lola yelled.

She wanted him to suffer. She did. He was the bane of her existence. But as much as she hated him, a part of her didn't want him to be in pain. A part of her liked the way he looked at her. A part of her just liked him.

"No!" Tate belted. He slashed his wrist again. Deeper this time. The color was draining from his body. "I'm a shitty person!"

Lola didn't know what else to say. Some form of an apology was on the tip of her tongue when Tate disappeared. The bloody blade dropped to the floor with a heavy klink.

Shakily, Lola climbed out of the bed. She stood where Tate just had, seconds before. The blood on the ground had pooled and crept slowly towards her toes. She took a few steps backwards, but it didn't matter. The blood disappeared, just as Tate had.

What had just happened?

She wasn't sure. Lola crept to the wardrobe as she processed the events. She couldn't possible feel anything towards Tate other than hatred. She would be just as cold hearted as he if she did.

Lola looked through the clothing in the wardrobe. All of the items were still tagged with ridiculous prices and designer names. Alexander Wang. Marc Jacobs. Yves Saint Laurent. Zoe Karssen. Carven. Burberry. Chloe. Some of the garments ranged into the thousand dollar range.

Not wanting to be in the lingerie anymore, Lola just grabbed a basic dark gray t-shirt and a pair of jeans. She changed quickly, in case Tate came back.

But he didn't.

There wasn't a clock in the room, but Lola knew hours had passed.

She was so wrapped up in her own mind she almost didn't even realize how much time had passed. She was fighting with herself. She made a pro and con list for Tate, however ridiculous that sounded. The pro side included things like loves you?, dedicated, handsome. The con side was a lot longer- dead, ghost, evil, murder, psychotic, killed Josh, maybe killed Aaron and RJ, maybe killed Dad, EVIL, EVIL, EVIL, EVIL, EVIL.

Lola could write evil a thousand times, but it would never change the way she was beginning to feel.


	9. Chapter 9

_What's here? A cup, closed in my true love's hand?__Poison, I see, hath been his timeless end:__O churl! Drunk all, and left no friendly drop__ t__o help me after? I will kiss thy lips;__ h__aply some poison yet doth hang on them,__ t__o make die with a restorative…_

Tate appeared into the room. He stalked out of thin air, his face wrought with emotion. He looked surprised to see Lola sitting on the bed. He looked at her, words bubbling. She cut him off.

"For never was a story of more woe than this of Juliet and her Romeo."

"What?" Tate said.

"We're doomed to this, aren't we?" Lola followed up. She stood and threw the worn book across the room.

"Lo-"

"You and I can't be together, Tate. As much as you want it, and as much as I'm fighting to not want it. We aren't from rival families, right. But we are from different worlds. You killing my family aside, we're from different worlds. You're a ghost. I'm a human. What are we supposed to do? You're going to have to wait seventy years until I die for us to finally be together? Or are you going to kill me? We can't be together. It just isn't… it isn't meant to be."

Tate rubbed his jaw. His eyes were cast down at the ground. He listened to the sound of Lola huffing, fresh off her rant.

"Then I defy you, stars," Tate whispered to the ground.

Lola was stunned. She stomped her foot and demanded,

"Say that again."

Tate looked up. He caught Lola's gaze and held it. When he spoke, his words were hard.

"Then I defy you, stars!"

Lola was drunk with emotion for the boy standing in front of her. He was a rugged daredevil in a wrinkled shirt and suspenders. He was a ghost, and he was a murder. But there was something about him that made her forget all of that. To her, he was just Tate.

She rushed forward, throwing herself into his grasp. He attacked her with his mouth, devouring her face. He picked her up and threw her on the bed, his mouth never leaving hers. He layered himself over her, frantically groping every inch of her body, as if he'd never feel it again. Lola, too, was wildly feeling every inch of Tate's body, amazed that it actually existed.

After a few minutes of heavy petting and rushed kisses, Tate hastily ripped Lola's shirt off. She broke away, panting.

"Tate," She breathed. "I don't know if we should."

"Yes. Yes. Yes," Tate growled against her skin.

"I just," She hesitated. "I've just… never been with anyone before."

This caught his attention. His gaze was laced with lust and concern. He gingerly touched her face.

"I've only had one boyfriend," She admitted.

Tate kissed her softly and said, "We'll take it slow. Okay?"

A long beat passed before Lola bit down on her lip and nodded her head up and down.

It was obvious Tate wanted to do nothing more than ravish her, but he was courteous of her wishes. He knew sex could be an intimidating thing, and he was determined to make Lola as comfortable as he could.

Lola was draped halfway over Tate. She looked up at him with lustful, lazy eyes. Tate was damp, and the sweat had made his hair curl even more. It tipped wildly over his face. His eyes were cast down as he watched Lola recover and come down from the clouds. Her breath still ragged, she recited,

"My only love sprung from my only hate! Too early seen unknown, & known too late! Prodigious birth of love it is to me, that I must love a loathed."

A cold hand grazed Lola's exposed back. Tate was rubbing soft circles over her skin. He was completely amazed by the women he was lying with.

"You've got that right," He muttered with a curving grin.

In a sleepy hazy, Lola was even more beautiful than she had been before. Her skin was so creamy and soft, and her eyes were drooping ever so slightly. The curve of her body fit perfectly into his.

Tate's hand still caressing her creamy skin, he asked,

"What is your nationality?"

"I'm from America."

Lola couldn't help but smile at how cautious he was sounding.

"I'm from America. My skin is white, and yours is like… wet sand. I know that there are Negros, but I did not think there were any more colors of people."

Lola had forgotten that Tate wasn't from her time. He was from the sixties. Civil rights hadn't happened yet. But still, he at least should've known there were other ethnicities.

She positioned herself up on one elbow, slightly tilting her body off of Tate's. Her lips were pressed, and Tate looked afraid that she was going to verbally attack him for saying the wrong thing. Naturally, he wasn't a very cautious person, but he was trying for her.

"My mother is Inuit," She explained, but continued when Tate gave her a puzzled look. "Like, Native American…. or Eskimo. She is from the Newhaven village. It's a really tiny place, like 100 people. My father, who is white, was passing through the village on a fishing trip when he saw her. It was love at first sight."

Lola was smiling as she remembered the stories her mother would tell her of how her parents met before Lola grew older and uninterested.

Tate enjoyed seeming Lola like that- taken back to a place of fondness. He whispered softly,

"Love at first sight… like me and you."

"Maybe for you," Lola admitted quickly. "I still don't know what or how I feel about you."

"I think it's obvious how you feel about me," Tate said, making a gently motion to their bodies. "Lola, why can't you just accept the fact that I did all of this for us. It was all for you."

Blood is thicker than water. Of course Lola loved her family. She missed Aaron and RJ and Josh and her father. But she tried not to dwell on those feelings. Sometimes, in order to survive, you have to move on. And maybe that's what she was going to have to do. She was going to have to move on.

* * *

><p><strong>Hey, all! Hope you enjoyed this chapter. Sorry for the briefnesslack of posts. Like I said earlier, I'm swamped with school work. But I've been trying to pick up the speed. As always, feedback is welcomed! **

Also, my dear friend Devin is making me some promotional pieces for this story. I know you can't post pictures in the stories (or at least I don't know how) but I'll defiantly include a link to the images. He is a stunning creator and also my best best best best friend! 


	10. Chapter 10

Lola and Tate were in a dead lock. She stood as still as a statue with both feet planted on the ground and her arms crossed. She didn't blink, but held Tate's blank gaze. Tate, too, was firm. His stature mocked hers. They glared at each other with fire. It was a completely different scene than four nights earlier when they lay together.

What were they fighting about? Lola wanted to leave the room. She was tired of being stuck in one spot. She also wanted to look for Aaron and RJ, though she didn't mention that to Tate. Lola had been subservient for days and showed no signs of defiance. But Tate refused her the freedom she wanted. And Lola wasn't going to accept that. It was against her nature.

"What are you so afraid of?" She questioned tensely. "I can't run away- you sent my boat to God knows where. Do you think I'm going to choke on dust articles?"

"You know what I'm concerned about."

"No, I don't!" Lola exclaimed, throwing her hands in the air. "You love me, right?"

"Don't do that," He snapped. "My word is final. End of story."

"So, I'm always going to be your prisoner in some way or another?" She cried. "Never fully free, no matter how in love we claim to be?"

Tate rubbed his jaw. He was ready to break- revert back to his old ways. An image briefly flashed into his head. He was holding a gun to Lola's head, his finger on the trigger. Frightened by what he may or may not do, he stormed off, disappearing into the air.

"Leave like you always do!" Lola yelled.

Her words echoed slightly. She was furious. Tate may have been alive- or dead- for over fifty years, but he was acting like a child.

She was going to get out of that damn room. If not for her own desires, than to spite Tate.

An idea struck her- if it was the bedroom the Captain used when the ship was in service, there had be a way to leave the room. There had to be a passageway. Tate couldn't just remove a door. It was impossible, even o hiss standards.

She erupted in a flutter, moving around the room. Maybe the door was hidden behind something. She checked the major pieces first.

The wardrobe was heavy, but she managed to nudge it forward a few centimeters. There was nothing but a solid wall behind it. Not giving up hope, she peddled over to the bed. She jumped up on the unmade mess to peek behind it. No door. The bookshelves? No- they were tightly screwed in.

Maybe it wasn't in the room. She walked to the bathroom. The large cabinets that flanked the tub were glued to the wall.

Frustrated, she sat on the toilet seat. She crossed her legs and hunched over, deep in thought. There was no way the room was completely isolated. No possible way. The door had to be hidden or covered up. Tate just disappeared and appeared, but humans couldn't do that.

"Lo-lo Bean."

Lola froze. That's what Josh used to call her.

"Don't be afraid." It was definitely Josh's voice, too. "Hold on, I think I can materialize myself."

A few seconds passed before Josh's body appeared in front of her. He looked normal. There wasn't a hook hanging from his stomach and he wasn't bloodied and bruised. He was a ghost.

"Oh… my… God," Lola wept, rushing forward to hug him. She passed right through and stumbled into the bathtub.

"I still haven't figured that part out," He laughed, running a hand through his thick hair.

"How are you- what…"

"Oh, you should know that by now, since you've been getting cozy with that freak."

Lola blushed, "I can explain."

"You can explain how you're being a domestic housewife to the ghost that murdered me?"

Lola was at a loss for words. She shoved her hands in her tight jean pockets and muttered, "It's complicated."

"Forbidden love, yada yada ya," Josh said, rolling his eyes. "I get it. Whatever."

"You've been… watching?"

"I didn't watch you have sex with him, if that's what you're subtly trying to ask."

She blushed, casting her eyes to the ground.

"Baby sis," Josh laughed. "You don't have to be embarrassed. Or maybe you do, since you had sex with a ghost who murdered me."

"You don't think I've fought with myself every day about this?" She exclaimed. "Sometimes when I look at him, I see you. I don't know what is happening. I'm confused and I have all these feelings and I just want to forget that he did that. I want to forget him sometimes. I want to be home with you and Dad and-"

"Forbidden love," Josh repeated himself. "I know what it feels like. Remember when I was in high school and I was dating Sanita Wok, but when Dad found out he told me to break up with her because her Dad was a crab fisherman and he took some of our loads like 3 years prior to that?"

"Yeah."

"I didn't. We kept dating. For months. Romeo and Juliet stuff. I get it. Except for the part where you're in love with my murder. You've always been the rebellious one. It only makes sense that you had to one up me on that."

Lola smiled, though she was irritated with his nonstop talk about Tate. She had so many questions to ask Josh, so many things she wanted to talk to him about.

"You're looking for Molleni."

"What?" Lola asked, puzzled.

"The way out of this room is Molleni- Argo Molleni. He was the captain of the ship. There's a hidden door. On one of the bookshelves, the middle one, there is a book with his name on the spine. If you pull it, the bookshelf will swing open."

Lola's eyes brightened. She sprinted out of the bathroom to the center of the wall of books. Her eyes scanned the lines, looking for the name. It was near the top. She had to jump up on her feet to yank it. Just like Josh predicted, the middle shelf rumbled and slowly opened.

She let out an excited squeal, jumping up and down. She turned to Josh who was directly behind her. She went to hug him, but remembered he didn't have a body like Tate did.

"Hurry- it only stays open for a second."

She shuffled out of the door with Josh. The wall zapped shut again.

"Thank you," She said with a gracious grin.

"I kn-"

Josh froze. His Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed hard. Lola took a few steps forward and reached out for him, even though she couldn't feel his body. He shook his head from side to side.

"What?" She rushed.

His mouth moved, but she couldn't hear his words. She watched as his body lifted off the ground. He was floating. Something was pulling him up to the sky. The color in his body drained as he became less of a figure and more of a ball of energy. It was a bright orb- almost blinding. The colors were magnificent and so very Josh. He was ascending, and she was watching it all.

The orb lingered for a second before drifting up. Lola craned her head backwards to watch the colors spread across the sky and disappear.

A few tears trickled down her face. Lola reached a hand up and wiped them away. She didn't had already mourned Josh's death, though seeing him stirred up the emotions. She didn't have time to cry. She had no idea when Tate would be back, and she needed to go look for RJ and Aaron.

Lola began to walk down the hall. She had no idea where the Captain's room was in location to the rest of the ship. The hall opened up to the main deck. Lola made a mental note of how to get back to the room.

She decided to go to the pool first, though she didn't want to. It was the last place she'd seen her brothers, and they were not in the best shape. Josh was dead. Aaron was unconscious. RJ was bruised and battered. Not to mention the area itself was horrifying. The pool was a pit of gore- blood, guts, and bones. There was a horrific stench. It wasn't a place she'd visit willingly.

But she went anyway.

She was fearful as she approached the large door. Each step made her heart race faster. She had to give herself a pep talk when she reached the end of the stretch.

You can do it, Lola. For RJ and Aaron. Just look through the window. Just peek in. You're a goddamn CAMPBELL. You aren't afraid of anything. Just do it.

She peeked through the window. There was nothing there. The room was empty. There was no blood. Josh's body was gone. Aaron and RJ were nowhere in sight.

A prickling sensation hit her skin, traveling up from her feet to her head. Then she heard a voice in her head. It was a monotone, droning male voice. Keep going down the hall. There will be a door. Go through it. Go down the steps. She had no idea who or what it was, but she decided to take its advice. She had nothing else to go on.

The hall dwindled down. A looming door was the end destination. Like the voice said, there was a set of six steps. The steps led into another tiny hall that opened up into a large room full of cold furnaces and large steel tubes. The walls were molded. A rancid stench of waste swept over her as she progressed through the room. She was near the back of the wall, and she still saw no signs of life, though the stench was increasing.

A tiny flash of light caught her eye. It flickered for a few seconds before going out. Lola's eyebrows perked. It was a flashlight. It had to be. She ran in the direction of the light, not caring how noisy she was.

"RJ!" She called out. "Aaron!"

There was only a little bit of natural light coming through the dusty windows, but Lola could definitely identify two bodies scrunched against a wall. A few more steps confirmed that the bodies were RJ and Aaron. They were thin and malnourished. Still badly bruised and covered in a layer of dirt, they barely looked like themselves.

She fell to her knees and placed a wet kiss on each of their cheeks while she embraced them. They were weak, but they still held onto her.

"We thought you were dead," RJ muttered. "But you… you are, you look good. Did you find food?"

"Where have you been hiding?" Aaron questioned.

Lola licked her lips, "It doesn't matter."

"It matters. We looked for you for days," Aaron said sharply. "We searched the ship from top to bottom."

"And that thing that did this to us and… killed… Josh- we ran into him twice. Look what he did to me."

RJ lifted his torn shirt to expose a gaping wound. It was slightly green and pussing a sticking looking white goop. The blood had scabbed over. It was horrific. Lola reeled back with a gasp. It was all she could do not to throw up.

"God," Lola finally spewed. "What happened?"

"He just came at me," RJ said.

"I don't know why Tate would-"

Lola stopped herself before she dug herself into a hole. But by the looks on RJ and Josh's faces, she already did damage.

"I can't believe this," RJ spat, disgusted. "You are shacking up with him, aren't you?"

"It isn't that easy," Lola rushed.

"I think it is that easy," Aaron shook his head.

"He was keeping me captive. I was trying to survive so I could find you guys- honest."

"You don't have to lie to them, sweetheart."

All three of the Campbell children snapped their heads up in the direction of the voice. Lola's heart dropped to the floor. Tate was looming over them. And he did not look happy.


	11. Chapter 11

"Go away, Tate," Lola warned as she hopped to her feet. "I don't want to see you right now."

"Don't tell me what to do," Tate fumed. He grabbed Lola's arms roughly.

Aaron protested from the ground, "Let go of her!"

Lola looked back at her brothers and shook her head, "I can handle this."

"There is nothing to handle. You went against me."

"For good reason!" Lola snapped. "You've been attacking my brothers. RJ is going to die if he doesn't get medical attention."

"Good!" Tate hissed.

Lola had had enough. Her hand curled into a fist. Her blow collided with Tate's jawline, knocking him to the ground. Satisfied with her punch, she turned and drop to her knees with the intentions of trying to get RJ and Aaron to their feet. She was going to get them help. There had to be a way.

"Lo!" RJ yelled in warning.

She was jerked from behind and thrown across the room. She crashed into a furnace. Her head cracked against the metal. The noise echoed for a second before RJ and Aaron's weak screams cluttered the room. Tate briefly looked at the motionless girl. He could deal with her later. First he had to get rid of her bothersome brothers.

When he cocked his head back to the two, they were struggling to rise to their feet. They were going to defend their family or die trying. Tate was going to make sure they died trying.

"I almost feel bad about this," He laughed. "It's such an unfair fight."

He knocked Aaron back into RJ. The two went stumbling to the ground. Tate waved his hand and a blade appeared. He took a few steps. Hovering over the two brothers, he stared down at their fearful faces. They were drifting in and out of consciousness.

"Then again, I've never really been into fair fights," Tate grinned.

He fell to the ground, cocking his head at the brothers. RJ lifted a hand. His fingers curled limply as he tried to make a fist. Tate effortlessly knocked the hand back down. He swiftly dug the blade into RJ's stomach. He lurched forward a few inches. Blood squirted out of his mouth. It bubbled on his chin, and then fell in globes on his neck. Aaron's eyes fluttered to the side for a brief second before closing. Tate could tell he was seconds away from death. Still, he pulled the knife of RJ's abdomen and buried it into Aaron's. He pulled the blade up and down Aaron's stomach, carving until there was nothing left but a heap of organs that spilt over onto the ground.

A few seconds passed before two translucent figures danced above the dead bodies. The figures quickly turned into brightly colored orbs that danced through the ceiling. They moved on fast- faster than Tate had ever encountered. Maybe it was because they'd been on the verge on death for so long.

Tate looked longingly at the dark ceiling for a few long seconds before his attention turned to Lola. Shit! She was still in a heap on the ground by the boiler. Tate tossed the blade aside and ran over to her body. She wasn't breathing. Jesus, she wasn't breathing.

"If you're looking for a pulse, there isn't one. I checked- twice."

Lola was leaning… floating... Tate could see grimy wall through her body. He stared for who knows how long. Her body thickened until he could no longer tell if he hallucinated her as a ghost or if she was still alive.

"Why?"

Lola's voice cracked as she finally spoke. Tate bit his lip as he looked at her.

"What?" He questioned.

"Why? Just why? Why did you ruin what we had? Why did you do this to my brothers? Why did you do this to me? Why am I not doing that orb thing like RJ and Aaron did? Why did I just become all fleshy like you?"

Tate shrugged, at a loss for words, "I don't know. I'm not an expert."

"Really? You're a thousand years old, and you've seen like a thousand ghost orb things. Expert status, Tate."

She had just died, and she still had that spark that he loved.

"Stop smiling and give me answers," Lola begged, her face wavering. "Please?"

"I don't know," Tate said, honestly. "I never saw people become… people… when they died. Just me. What happened to you- it happened to me."

"I'm not evil," Lola cried, finally breaking.

Tate approached the quivering apparition. He tried to wrap his arms around her, but she screamed and threw him off of her.

"Don't you **dare** try and touch me!" She howled. "Jesus, Tate! Do you know what you've done? You've made me a monster. You've killed my family. You've killed me. Tate, are you not processing this?

"I am. I do."

"I don't think you do!" Lola cried. She pointed to the two mutilated bodies on the floor. "Look at that! Look what you did!

Tate glanced at the corpses then back at Lola. He reached out a hand as he said,

"I've explained to you that I can't control myself. I'm sorry."

"I'm sorry?" Lola yelled. "I'm dead, Tate! DEAD! I know that means nothing coming from somebody who murdered his own mother, but it sure as hell means a lot to me. I am no longer alive. I am not breathing. This flesh- this flesh isn't real, Tate!"

"I don't know what you want me to say."

"Nothing!" She screamed. "Nothing!"

Lola didn't know how or if she could even get out of that room. She pictured herself back home, snuggled tight in her bed. Her mom was in the kitchen preparing her a nice bowl of her homemade chicken noodle soup to warm her up after a long trip at sea. She could feel the thick blanket on her skin. It warmed her from the inside out. She could see her mom in the doorway with a tray. From the bed she could smell the broth. The steam traveled up and danced around her mom's face.

It all rushed back. The room faded. The smell of the warm soup was replaced by the cold salt of the sea. She could feel the water on her skin, taste it in her mouth. Beneath her bare feet she felt the old wood from the deck of the ship. The crisp wind whipped her hair. She opened her eyes, and she was back on the ship.

"No, no, no!" She screamed, stomping her feet on the ground. "I was home! I was home, damnit!

"It brought you back," Tate said dryly.

He was leaning against the railing. He looked perfect, like he was meant to be there. His shirt sleeves were rolled up and free of blood stains. The black suspenders hugged his body, twisting as he moved. His face almost calmed Lola. Almost.

Her voice cracked as she tried to speak through her heaves, "Why? Did… it… I'm not… Evil? Right? Please... just… I'm not evil, Tate."

This time when he approached her, she didn't throw him off. She was broken. She just wanted someone to hold her.

"You're not evil, Lola. You're perfect."

"You said all the good souls left. You said you became a person, just like I did."

"I know. I didn't think before I spoke. I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you."

"You shoulda thought about that before you… killed me."

"I didn't mean to."

"You keep saying that," Lola cried with a weak smile. "But I don't believe it."

"What will make you believe me?"

"I will never believe you. But it would help maybe a centimeter if you would just shut up and hold me."


	12. Chapter 12

Lola crashed back on the deck with a loud thud. Her naked body was covered in sea water. She let out a loud, frustrated scream as she stood back up. She had been trying for who knows how long to leave the ghost ship. Thinking of her house was too painful after a while, so she moved on to other places around her town, the grocery store, library, museum… they all threw her back. She thought of places she wanted to see, Paris, London, New York, Los Angeles, Miami, Rome. They all threw her back. Every single time.

"Are you done yet, sweetheart? I mean, I love seeing you all naked and wet."

Tate had been watching her the entire time. He was leaned up against the railing on the deck with his arms crossed and a pained look in his eye. He hated seeing her torture herself over and over again.

As her body dried and her clothes slowly formed onto her body, she glared at him, "Just leave me alone."

"You and me are the only two on this boat," Tate unraveled his arms and walked towards her. "The rest of eternity is going to be pretty lonely if we avoid each other."

Lola stopped him before he got too close, "I'd rather spend the rest of eternity alone than spend one more second with you."

Tate looked at the ground with a scowl. Her words stung like poison. He loved Lola, and he was determined to make her love him back.

"You don't mean that."

"Oh, I mean it, Tate."

Tate clamped his hands around Lola's face and forced her to look at him. She struggled for a second, tried to float away, but something was restricting her. She went limp and gazed back at the ghost boy.

"What do you want?" She hissed.

"Why don't you love me?" Tate questioned, his voice laced with hurt. "Why can't you see that you and I have a connection? We are bonded for life. We are meant to be together."

"How can I love someone who loves pain more than they love me?" Lola finally said after a long second. "When you and I were alone in that room, Tate, I saw the world in your eyes. But you can't let yourself be happy. You hurt so much- I can see that. You make others hurt as much as you do. I won't let myself be a part of that anymore."

She had finally given him a solid answer. It is what he wanted the entire time. A reason. Something to work with. He didn't know if her sunken in face and weepy words hurt him more than her words.

"I can change."

Lola gave a sad laugh before floating away, leaving Tate alone on the deck. Lola materialized in a random room on the ship. She just wanted to be away from him. Away from the ocean. Just as she was about to complain to the dusty room about how she was still naked, her clothes appeared on her body.

"I wish I could've died in something cool," She mumbled to herself. She was going to be spending eternity in a grey V-neck shirt, some jeans, and a pair of converse. She would much prefer to spend the rest of time in her favorite jammies or a nice parka.

After a brief pity party, Lola examined the room she was in. It was a small sleeping quarter, holding a chipping bunk bed. The blankets were rustled into piles that spilt off the bed. She reached down and straightened the bottom bunk a little. That's when she noticed a knapsack tucked between the pillow and the wall. It looked familiar. Too familiar. Lola's stomach turned as she picked it up and flipped it open.

Inside was a wrinkled family photo. Her parents were standing close together, their hands intertwined. They rarely ever showed affection in front of anyone, but that day her father was feeling extra loving. RJ, Aaron and Josh were all standing in a row with goofy smiles and their arms draped over one another. Lola never realized exactly how much they all looked alike until just now. Then there she was, sitting on the ground with her legs curled up beneath her.

She remembered that day perfectly as she stared at the photo. It was her mother's birthday, and they had surprised her with breakfast in bed. Lola wasn't a master chef, but with the help of her brothers and dad, they managed to make a pretty good meal. After mom had properly woken up she insisted they spend the day on the water. It was the one thing that made them all happy. So they packed some food for the extended day and headed out to the boat. It was a fishing boat, but that didn't mean they couldn't use it for a fun recreational day. And that's what they did. They didn't make it back to shore until the sun dipped below the ground.

Of course she was crying when she snapped back to reality. She was never going to have that again. Her tears of sadness quickly turned to tears of anger. Eternity was a long time, and she didn't want to spend it feeling sorry for herself. No, she was going to do something about it. Being a spirit trapped on a ship left her with little options. But she had a plan. A plan that would show Tate that she wasn't going to crawl back to him after what he did to her.

She pictured herself near a designer clothing store in New York City. She'd never been to the city before, but she had seen plenty of pictures to know if she put her mind to it, she'd end up where she needed to be. The familiar whirlwind feeling swept over her, and in a second, she was in a clean looking alley. She walked towards the light and noise and ended up on the street of New York City.

Nothing she had ever heard about the city would've prepared her for what she was seeing. It was definitely a big change from her small Alaska town. People brushed past her with destinations. Tourists marveled, aiming their cameras at every building and bird. The street was packed full of taxis, honking their horns every few seconds.

"I don't think I'm in Kansas anymore," She mumbled under her breath as she turned in a circle.

She was standing in front of a massive white building with red awnings that stated "Barneys New York" in solid white letters. It looked expensive, and that's what she wanted. She walked into the store and caught her breath. The air just smelled expensive. She wandered through the light crowd of people, her eyes scanning the clothing around her.

"Miss, may I help you with something?"

Lola spun around, startled. A woman with dark skin and bright eyes stared at her with a smile.

"First time in the city?" She asked.

"That obvious, huh?" Lola blushed.

"I remember when I first arrived here. I used to live in Iowa. It's a big difference."

"That's for sure," Lola said. "Um, I'm looking for a… _sexy _outfit. I'm going on a date tonight and I want to look irresistible."

The woman smiled, "Follow me. We just got this Michelle Mason dress in that is very sexy. It's been popular with all the young women."

She navigated through the sea of clothing, making an abrupt stop at a slim piece of clothing on a rack. The woman proudly held up the dress in front of Lola.

"Here it is!" She exclaimed. "What do you think?"

It was a short strapless white dress with black lace over it. It looked like a piece of lingerie.

"That's definitely sexy," Lola said hesitantly.

"You have to try this on," She stated. "What are you, a size 3?"

"I have no idea," Lola admitted.

After giving her a strange look the lady shoved the dress in her hands, insisting she was a size 3. On their way to the dressing room they stopped to pick up a pair of leather peep toe shoes.

Once inside the brightly lit dressing room, Lola slipped out of her ordinary clothes and into the dress. It fit like a glove, and it looked damn well on her. It hugged every part of her ghostly body. The top must have had some magical breast growing powers, because her chest looked a lot bigger. The shoes only added to the picture. She looked like a bonafied sex bomb.

"Well?" The lady asked from the other side of the door. "How does it look?"

Lola wasn't going to stick around to give her an answer. She pictured herself back in the alley besides the store. She quickly went back to the street and searched for a place where she could get some makeup. She didn't need anything fancy, so she dunked into a nearby Wallgreens, snatching some red lipstick, eyeliner, and foundation on her way to the bathroom. After a quick self-makeover, she took a deep breath and initiated her main plan.

In her head she imagined a place out of a movie where the girl and guy meet at the bar and have a tumultuous relationship that ends up with them realizing they need each other to survive. It was a classy place, but not so fancy that it pushed away the youth that was dying to act like grownups.

Then she was there. It was the place she dreamed of. It was a modern playground made of whites and grays. The ceiling above her housed lines of paper lanterns. Some new hip music played loudly, but not so loud that it shook the lanterns. The bar, she decided as she walked towards it, was going to be the best place to put her plan in action. She ordered a drink, not knowing what she'd be getting.

She hadn't even received her drink before a handsome man approached her with a smile. His eyes were bright and his hair was dark. His features were sharp, like they were chiseled out of stone. He was wearing a business jacket over a t-shirt and a pair of jeans. He had to be some sort of model.

"Hi sweetheart," He said. His voice was as smooth as his looks. "Let me buy that for you."


	13. Chapter 13

His name was Steven, and he was in fact a model. He bought Lola a few drinks while flirting, knowing damn well all he had to do was say the word and she'd be his. He liked the chase, even if it was pretend. Little did he know Lola had an agenda of her own. She made the move, leaning in close and whispering in his ear,

"Let's get out of here."

He responded with a smile, pulling her by the hand out of the bar. She didn't listen to much of what he said as they reached the street. Something about her place or a hotel.

"There's a shortcut to my place," She smiled. "But you have to trust me."

"Where at?" He eagerly responded.

She nodded towards a nearby alley. He looked at it and then back at her.

"Trust me," She repeated, leading him to the dark alley.

Before Steven had time to voice his opinion on the situation, Lola pinned him to the wall, pressing her knee against his groin and covering his mouth with hers. Steven fell into the kiss quickly, his hands pushing Lola roughly up against his body.

It was hard to think of anything else other than Steven's tongue in her mouth. She forced herself to think of Tate's room. The large circular bed in the middle of the room with the red comforter that demanded your attention. The overstuffed chair in front of the oak wardrobe. The long wall of books that kept her busy for who knows how long. She wasn't sure if the sensation in her body was from the ship calling her back or the body against hers. When the two stumbled to the ground, she opened her eyes to see they were back in the captain's room.

"What the hell?" Steven panted looking around. "Where are we?"

"My room," Lola explained. "Shortcut, remember?"

"That's impossible. We were just in the alley. We didn't move."

Lola pushed up her dress so she could properly straddle him without ripping the garment. She rubbed her hands up his chest and cupped his face in her hands. She leaned in licked one of his earlobes before huskily muttering,

"Shut up and fuck me."

That was enough to get Steven to shut up. He growled and grabbed her hair, pulling her head closer to his. He attacked her neck, licking and biting like he was a vampire. After Lola let out a low moan, Steven jerked her head back up and placed his lips on her. Her scent was so intoxicating to him. He had to have her. As he unzipped her dress, she ripped his shirt off, button by button. Steven yanked the dress over her head and tossed it across the room. Not even a second later, he tore her bra down from her breasts. His hands cupped them, his fingers twisting her nipples. Lola craned her neck and let out a squeak.

Steven needed his skin on hers. As much as he regretted it, he nudged her off of him so he could completely undress. Getting the hint, Lola slipped out of her remaining undergarments and refocused her attention on his hard cock. She moved closer, examining it for a second before her tongue was licking the tip.

Aaron growled and grasped Lola's head, holding on to her hair as he grunted, "Suck me!"

She did as he said. She didn't have a lot of experience, only having been with Tate, but she was listening to the fire in her body. She wrapped her hands around his shaft and squeezed as she ran her tongue up and down his cock. Not knowing if what she was doing was good, she looked up at Steven with big eyes.

"Good, so good," He moaned, his head falling back to the ground. Lola took his shaft in her mouth over and over again. Steven rose back up on his shoulders and grabbed her hair again, pushing her head forward. Lola's face pressed against his stomach. Curiously, she stuck her tongue out and licked his balls. He let out a long groan that sent shivers down Lola's spine.

"Please," She mumbled her tongue still on his head, "Please."

In one swift move, Steve stood, lifting Lola up and throwing her on the bed. He held up her legs and buried his cock deep inside her.

"Oh!" Lola gasped, her eyes closing. Her back arched as Steven pumped his cock in and out of her wet pussy. "Fuck me! Fuck me harder!"

He didn't need any more encouragement. He furiously began pumping. The sound of his balls slapping her ass were accompanied by her screams of pleasure. Her hands desperately grabbed the comforter for a second before she reached up and clawed his back. Somehow he managed to pump faster than before. Lola was trembling, drawing closer to her orgasm.

"Keep going… just like that," She moaned.

She pulsated around his throbbing member as an orgasm shattered through her. She screamed as her body waved with pleasure. Steven only slowed for a second before picking up his pace. He too was close to cuming. His balls tightened and he released his load deep inside of her. Right after he came, Tate appeared in the room.

Steven barely had time to react before Tate dug a blade into his stomach and tossed him across the room. Tate walked over to the body and continued to stab him well past the moment he died. Lola just watched with twinkling eyes. It was exactly what she wanted to happen.

"What's wrong, Tate? Can't stand a little competition?" She questioned breathlessly.

He looked up with a fiery glace. Lola was still coming down from her orgasm, spread naked on the bed. God, Tate wanted to fuck her and kill her at the same time. He stood up and threw the knife on the ground, stomping over to her. With a growl, he pushed her back on the bed and hovered over her.

"You're mine," He hissed in her ear.

"You may think that, but unless you can fuck me like him, I don't belong to you," Lola said huskily.

Tate pounded his mouth against Lola, hard. She let him kiss her for a second before she disappeared, leaving Tate with a raging hard on and a naked dead man on the floor.


End file.
